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Q. When it comes to choosing a milk substitute for pareve cooking and baking, how do I know which one is best?
A. Most stores carry a selection of milk alternatives, including soy milk, rice milk and almond milk. Most come in a variety of flavors and can be found on grocery shelves in aseptic cartons as well as in the refrigerated section.
Here are some differences between the three:
Almond Milk
Almond milk is made by blending together almonds and water and then straining the liquid. Creamy and slightly sweet, almond milk has a nutty flavor that is not too overpowering.
While almonds on their own are a powerhouse of nutrition, since the actual amount of nuts used in commercial almond milk is small, the nutritional benefits are negligible.
To make almond milk at home, grind the nuts in a food processor or blender; add water, and strain. Almonds can be quite costly, but the more almonds used, the more nutritional benefits.
Rice Milk
Rice milk is thinner in consistency than almond or soymilk, and has a light, sweet flavor that does not lend itself to savory or salty dishes. Processed from brown rice and sweetened with rice syrup or evaporated cane juice, this option is largely a source of carbohydrates.
The sweet taste of rice milk works well in baking recipes but doesn’t offer much body when used in sauces unless thickeners like corn starch, flour, or agar flakes are added. Being low in protein, it does not make a good nutritional replacement for milk.
Soy Milk
Soymilk, the richest non-dairy alternative, is high in iron and protein, and produced by pressing out the liquid from ground, cooked soybeans. Unlike almond or rice milk, this option is a bit more stable at high temperatures and thickens well when used in sauces.
Since soymilk has the most pronounced flavor of all the non-dairy substitutes, some prefer using this product exclusively for baking instead of as an accompaniment to breakfast cereal.
Each brand of soy milk has a subtly different taste and color. Unlike rice milk, whose color is pristine white, bear in mind that soy milk has a beige hue which may affect the final "look" of the food in which it is added.
For more information about dairy-free cooking and for an arsenal of pareve recipes, check out www.godairyfree.com.
Try using almond, rice or soymilk in this wonderful version of Kosher Decadent Chocolate Fudge (Pareve)
Become part of this interactive culinary dialogue. Felisa Billet welcomes your cooking questions at editor@kosher.com.
